A series of essays….
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HADRIAN’S WALL RUNS ALONG THE ORIGINAL BOARDER BETWEEN SCOTLAND AND ENGLAND |
….as seen through my eyes!
By: Jacqueline E Hughes
Have you ever had mysterious sounding lyrics of a song hold tight in your imagination for as log as you can remember? The tune from it whistling through your head never to relinquish its power upon you? You played it for years on your parents’ electric keyboard/organ that sat against the paneled wall in the dining room. Ultimately, you find yourself standing along the shoreline of the song’s central character in the Scottish Highlands years later, surrounded by its mysteries and sheer beauty.
I deftly slipped a large stone from the cold, shallow waters of Loch Lomond on that trip five years ago to take home, bringing everything full circle. We stood on the banks of the loch in a small village called Luss after enjoying a beef pie at the Loch Lomond Arms for lunch.
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ALONG THE BANKS OF LOCH LOMOND IN THE VILLAGE OF LUSS |
Driving north along the shoreline of this long, finger-like loch, we were looking for a spot to hike in the woods. The entire time we inhaled the beauty of the loch marveling at the sun’s ability to spray a coat of sparkles on its surface from east to west while we hummed (sang) the chorus to the song, Loch Lomond.
Chorus: O ye'll tak the high road an' I'll tak the low
I'll be in Scotland afore ye
For me and my true love will never meet again
By the bonnie bonnie banks o' Loch Lomond
Little did I know then how we would be affected by this catchy tune five years later on our recent trip to Wales and England.
This leg of our journey began with Dan’s humble desire to see, stand alongside, and touch Hadrian’s Wall located a few miles south of the present Scottish boarder and along the English countryside. Stretching from coast to coast at a length of 73 miles, it has been severely shortened of its original 12 foot height and 8 foot width by area farmers using the available stones to create houses and border fences throughout the centuries.
Hadrian’s Wall, its remains denoting the northern defensive fortifications of the Roman Emperor, Hadrian, in his quest to block the savages (Scots) living north of the wall from entering Britannia. Building began in 122 AD, beginning west of Carlisle and stretching east to New Castle upon Tyne near the North Sea.
Preparing for yet another long driving excursion several weeks ago from our base camp (little stone cottage) in the village of Llansilin, County Powys, Wales, Dan and I conducted a quick checklist of what we needed to bring with us for the day before getting into our Peugeot rental car and heading north. Dan’s anticipation was spreading joyfully across his face.
Leaving early, we caught up with the morning work commuters just northeast in the town of Wrexham—the place built (most recently) by Ryan Reynolds and his business partner, Rob McElhenney after their investment in the Wrexham Association Football Club. I hear the team has been doing very well these days!
Pushing through the Wrexham traffic, we drove by the city of Liverpool where (dare I say it) we crossed the (River) Mersey heading north to the Lake District following the M6. We were making good time on our journey up to Carlisle and Hadrian’s Wall as the sun rose in the sky, welcoming us with all of its warmth and glory! It was a beautiful morning.
We arrived in the town of Windermere in the heart of the Lake District, a stones throw from The World of Beatrix Potter Attraction, and enjoyed delicious coffee and breakfast in the center of the town as we comfortably people watched and sipped even more coffee. Leaving Windermere, the northern backroads took us through winding hilltops graced by tall, swaying grasses and honey-colored stone. It was one of the prettiest drives we’d taken, so far, north of Wales.
Making it back to the M6, we turned to the northeast and, while under the shadows of Carlisle Castle, headed towards the town of Brampton. Not being too far from the borderline between England and Scotland, we were invigorated by Scotland’s influence and kept an eye out for any references to it on road signs or other written aspects.
Suddenly, my eyes honed in on the name of the roads we were intersecting. To our left the sign read ‘High Row’ and, a short while later, the road sign read ‘Low Row’ to our right. Immediately looking-up the English definition of the word ‘row,’ I learned that it was often used as a substitute for the word road. My mind went racing back to the chorus of Loch Lomond and I wondered if we were in the middle of something, some memorable time in history, that songs were written about and legends were placed in musical form for all to be enlightened, as well as entertained.
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DAN’S “LITTLE BOY” ENTHUSIASM THRILLED ME TO PIECES! |
Shortly afterward, Dan swung the car into a small parking area, said he was going to find the wall and come back for me after he did. Huffing and puffing at my car window several minutes later, he beckoned me outside, locked the car, and we walked across the narrow road down a grassy path and he placed me in front of a nondescript stone wall. It wasn’t until I looked both ways that I saw it stretch out to the left and to the right as far as the eye could see. We made it! Dan was one with Hadrian’s Wall, at last!
Standing approximately three feet high and double or triple this dimension in depth, the thrill of actually touching something this old, thinking about its historical impact on the area, and trying to imagine it at its full potential so long ago, was worth this trip to the northern parts of England. Besides, my husband was beaming with excitement and this was worth everything!
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LITERALLY, A TOUCH OF HISTORY! |
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MAKING HIMSELF AT HOME |
The day being sunny and gorgeous prompted us to head south to yet another destination on our ‘To Do’ list we compiled during the research for our adventure in Wales and England. How many of you watch Masterpiece on PBS about James Herriot’s adventures as a veterinarian in the 1930’s Yorkshire Dales leading up to England’s participation in WWII? With plenty of heart and a picturesque setting, All Creatures Great and Small has captured our attention for three seasons already. So, off to discover the village of Grassington in the brilliant Yorkshire Dales where this series is being filmed.
As we reflect back on that busy day just a few short weeks ago, our hearts remain filled with the wonder of learning hands-on about the past and the present, while sharing our finds with everyone upon returning home. Did we stumble upon the grassroots beginnings of a dear and beloved song I’d grown-up playing and singing? Perhaps. After experiencing the signage (or often, lack thereof) of England’s intricate history and having to distinguish places and things on our own, at times…this conclusion becomes more and more feasible. At least that’s my story and I’m sticking with it, for now.
As I write more about our ‘Anniversary Trip Adventures,’ I find I often have as much research to do afterwards as I did prior to leaving on our trip. But, that’s okay by me; I enjoy doing research and learning in depth about the (unexpected) places we saw and experienced. I call this my scoping-out phase of any trip we take because gathering all of this knowledge and information will make our return visits there that much more enjoyable in the future.
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| MOVING ON…..2013 TO 2023 |
Copyright © 2023 by Jacqueline E Hughes
All rights reserved
Photos Copyright © 2023 by Jacqueline E Hughes
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